Rangers sponsor in Nico Raskin ‘top five league’ transfer exit warning, already admitted Chelsea plan
Nico Raskin will “be in a top five league” if he keeps developing at his current rate with Rangers, according to Heart & Hand.
The Belgian midfielder, 22, only arrived from Standard Liege in January as the second signing of the Michael Beale era, and has previously admitted he has his eye on a move to Chelsea in the future.
He is already a key man in Beale’s line-up and the official club partner has warned that supporters will have to make the most of his time at Ibrox because it might not last too long.
Posting on Twitter on Wednesday (19 July) Heart & Hand wrote: “We should enjoy him while he’s here because if he keeps developing at the rate he is he’ll be in a top 5 league.”
Risk and reward
It is the nature of the SPFL’s position in European football that anyone who hits the heights is at risk of being snapped up by one of the biggest leagues.
There shouldn’t be any imminent danger of that with Raskin, but his showing during his first half-season with the club was very encouraging and at his age he could still be improving.
If clubs start sniffing around it would mean he’s proven to be a big success with Rangers, so the threat of losing him would likely be offset by the production he had already delivered and the likely profit he’d generate in the market.
Beale could only capture two signings in his first window, but the importance of Raskin and Todd Cantwell bode well for the new season now that the manager has brought in seven more new arrivals and counting.
If the Rangers boss has again landed the right players then there would be reason to expect much-improved performances.
He largely had the measure of the SPFL until it came to Old Firm derbies as it was, so if the changes he has made means he can build on his most recent win over Celtic it will have been a successful window.
Raskin is one player who likely will begin to attract interest from elsewhere next year and beyond, so the Light Blues will have to hope they can get as much quality football out of him as possible if he is to move on in the next few years.
In other Rangers news, another Ibrox exit is on the brink after the player was caught at the airport on the way out and admitted a fee had been agreed already.